"[A traveler] should carry with him two bags: one very full of patience, the other containing two hundred Venetian ducats, or at least one hundred and fifty... furthermore, he should provision himself with good Lombard cheese, sausages, tongue, and other cured meats of every sort; white biscuits, some cakes of sugar, and various confections, but not a great quantity because they spoil quickly. Above all he should take plenty of fruit syrup, because that is what keeps a man alive in extreme heat; and also ginger syrup to settle his stomach if it is upset by too much vomiting."

Santo Brasca, Viaggio in Terrasanta (1480)

Airport security may take your fruit syrups, and customs may confiscate your cured meats, but no one can take away your suitcase full of patience.

Patience. I always forget to pack the damn patience. And the tongue.

09-06-2013, 12:35 PM

Darcy

I'm kindof upset by any amount of vomiting, but then again, I'm a wussy modern person.

09-06-2013, 03:25 PM

terayon

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darcy

I'm kindof upset by any amount of vomiting, but then again, I'm a wussy modern person.

Oh, my, yes. No vomiting for me, please, or I'll be right there with you. Other bodily fluids, well, I can handle them, but not barfing.

09-06-2013, 06:55 PM

snowbot

If you pack more than 3oz of ginger syrup, you'll need to check that bag!

09-06-2013, 11:39 PM

Petertaylo

This is really crazy..I am thinking that how those people was living that time.

09-07-2013, 12:31 PM

Ms. Ferret

My mom has always carried dried ginger (like this) in her purse. I think it's partially because she tends to get motion sickness, and partially because she just likes eating ginger all the time. :confused:

09-08-2013, 05:23 AM

nukediver

Ginger is an awesome travel item. And it helps if there is vomiting. I have a travel story about that, but I'm sure no one wants to hear it on a beautiful Sunday morning...

09-08-2013, 07:05 AM

Badger

Quote:

Originally Posted by nukediver

Ginger is an awesome travel item. And it helps if there is vomiting. I have a travel story about that, but I'm sure no one wants to hear it on a beautiful Sunday morning...

Raises hand.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

09-08-2013, 11:05 AM

backpack

Ginger can be found as candy, helpful if one is susceptible to motion sickness and ear pressure.

Don't forget the candies, or the small baby bottle with water (from the airport shops or the flight attendant) to alleviate the pain of ear pressure for the little ones.

Remember that the lavatory water in airplanes in not drinking water, I don't really know how clean it is so no tooth brushing or face cleaning with water there. Wait for the next airport bathroom.

The advice from 1480 are still good if travelling in automobile. The ride is smoother but gasoline is far more expensive than hay.

Make sure you have some cash, if you travel partially on rural routes, during the summer or fall, because there are plenty of food stands.

I don't know what Lombard cheese is, but sandwich are a better alternative if one doesn't want to bring a cooler which is a must in summer.

I wish someone would make an app that shows the highway rest stops in all countries and has user ratings.
In France, some restrooms rest stops have somebody with a sign and a dish with a pile of coins, be prepared! I experienced the same thing at Harrods, in London.

I don't know how solo travellers with pets manage, pets are not allowed in U.S rest stops.
In summer, women restrooms have long lines and it is not safe to leave a pet alone in the car, in the heat.

There should be a separate bathroom, similar to family bathroom, for pet owners.

09-08-2013, 02:19 PM

Frank II

Paying for toilets all over Europe is commonplace. Although I was kind of shocked to see it at the Vatican.

I remember my first trip to Italy back in the days of the Lira. I was at Pompeii and had to go. Sure enough, at the entrance to the toilets with a sign: 200 lira. 200 lira? All over Italy I paid 100 lira. This was outrageous and I complained. Then, when I had my say, I quickly figured out how much that would be in U.S. dollars. I realized I was arguing over an extra nickel. (The exchange rate at the time was 2000 lira to the dollar. It just seemed like a lot.)

On day one of Tour Director training we were taught the one thing that we must be to succeed at travel---flexible. Quite often, expectations don't go as planned and you must be able to deal with it. When things go wrong, or if you overpay for something, or if your plans weren't as good as you thought, have a laugh, figure out what to do, and remember it as a unique experience.

And take Pepto Bismol on every trip. It can come in handy for many reasons.

09-08-2013, 03:52 PM

daisy

In Madrid -a couple years ago - I would have been happy to pay .... If there WERE any .... Strong bladders those spaniards.

09-08-2013, 09:29 PM

marlonfran

Handy tools whenever travelling overseas

Hi there,
I usually take my iPhone with as my default camera sharing photos and details of my trip with friends and family on the go. One tool that has been helping me a lot lately in my trips is this very useful app named WorldWide Bank Notes (check it out at https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/worl...0458?ls=1&mt=8 ) which helps me to make a sense of how the local printed money looks like when you are traveling, especially in case of swindle when you change money. Any other cool tool with similar use will be very much welcome.
Have a wonderful trip.
Cheers
MF

09-09-2013, 07:12 AM

Shanisol

I made the mistake of relying on ginger for motion sickness... Once. It seems that only works for very mild cases. While I generally try to avoid drugs, meclizine is one I won't go without when traveling.

Random tip: You can get generic Meclizine (the active drug from Bonine and the non-drowsy version of dramamine) from the pharmacy - they keep it behind the counter. It's about $4.00 for 100 25mg pills.

09-09-2013, 12:02 PM

backpack

Quote:

Originally Posted by daisy

In Madrid -a couple years ago - I would have been happy to pay .... If there WERE any .... Strong bladders those spaniards.

Daisy, all over Europe, you have to go to a Cafe, in Spain there are tapas bar, as well.

A good rule of thumb is to go to the bathroom before you order anything. This way you can check the cleanliness or lack of, the bathroom.

It usually matches the cleanliness of the kitchen and after seeing many Restaurant Impossible kitchens, I will be sure to do the same in the U.S.

In big cities, department stores have restrooms and supermarkets have them too.

Below is a site that lists bathroom availability worldwide.

I choose Paris as the destination. The first few locations are Carefour, a supermarket chain and several Pizza Hut.
( I have been surprised to find many American chains all over France)

Daisy, all over Europe, you have to go to a Cafe, in Spain there are tapas bar, as well.

True - but I was still amazed that a large modern railway station in Madrid had no toilets at all. Found ourselves wandering in what turned out to be a business park sort of area with nary a cafe in sight. We ended up finding a business training centre of some sort (computer courses and such) and blended with the students (one advantage of not dressing like a backpacker), bought some water at the in house cafe, used the loos and left ....

Examining the map later - I think if we'd gone right instead of left from the station we would have found a large shopping centre. We were actually heading further out but stopped there specifically because I was caught short.